North Andover High School - Knight Yearbook (North Andover, MA)

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19 3 4 YEAR BOOK Inside we found J. Clifford Johnson, demonstrating to the crowd his powerful strength by bending horse shoes and so displaying muscles that even Atlas would have been proud to own. He must have been living out west where they say the air is purer. In the next stall we came upon Virginia Bixby, who was gracefully twirling snakes about her neck. She made a marvelous snake charmer and was assisted by Helen Clarenbach who put the darling pets back into their baskets. We moved along past several booths but we had not met the last of our old friends by any means, for there right before us was Priscilla Holt as the tattooed lady. On one side of her was John Roy who performed with skill the act of fire eating, and on the other side was Emile Boulanger, as a sword and knife swallower. We noticed that it was nearly time for the evening performance of the big show to begin. As we pushed through the crowd I felt someone pulling at my coat. My first thought was pickpockets. I turned quickly to see and discovered Margaret Smith with such a woe-be-gone expression on her face that I asked her the reason and found that she had been the victim of a pickpocket and was so disappointed since she now had no money to buy peanuts for the elephants. Huck felt so sorry for the lady that he took her to the peanut vender’s stand and bought her all she could carry. Huck told us later that Eugene Walsh was the peanut vender representing the “Double Nut Peanut Co.” As we entered the tent we were greeted by cries of, “Buy a balloon for the baby,” right in our ears. The voice had a familiar ring. Sure enough it was good old Herman Cass. Among the lady ushers were Mary Hulub in our section and Helen Koroskys in the next. The pageant started almost immediately. Among the members of the brass band we recognized Henry Kennedy blowing vociferously on a French horn. Imagine my surprise at seeing Marguerite Phelan sitting aloft on the head of an elephant and John Kennedy in acrobatic costume leading a pure white horse on which sat Claire Lebel, the bare back rider and gosh! could she ride. What could be the meaning of this! Former honor students of Johnson High School performing in a circus! I determined to find out at once. As soon as possible I left my friends and hurried to the exit in search of the information bureau and found Eleanor Fitzgerald in charge, in the absence of Tom Barnes who had stepped out in quest of his worthy secretary, Arlene McCormack. Eleanor informed me that each of the surrounding towns had the privilege of running things at the fair for a day, the proceeds to be used for some worthy cause in their community. This was North Andover Day and the project in mind was the building of a new high school. My mind was relieved to think that my classmates were not professionals but that they were working hard for a good cause, one day at least. This being the status of affairs I decided to look around a while longer, sure that I would find some more of my old pals. I hadn’t gone far when I saw a crowd around the First Aid Tent. To satisfy my curiosity I edged up to the opening and saw that some one had fainted. It was Ruth Wormald, she was being revived by Helen Walker, assistant to Bernice Dufton, head nurse in charge. I had had a strenuous day and as I had to start early next morning for my home in Ohio, I thought it best to get to a hotel to my much needed rest. As I left the Fair 19

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JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL securing for him this important position. Seeing that Pink Ribbon Beer was the cheapest, I ordered three bottles. Following a period of waiting, suspiciously long it seemed, Juliette Auger, the petite waitress, brought the order and perhaps because it’s an old custom for the chef to sample all orders before they are served, each bottle was only half full. Perhaps it would be interesting to note that the paper napkins advertised in bold type “DeNault’s Beer and Pretzel Factory” in Indiana. No doubt the course of chem¬ istry that he took influenced his business. Finally I got rid of Messrs. Pickles and Holdsworth, after they had drunk more beer at my expense, and I closed my eyes in peaceful slumber not even disturbing the country side by sonorous snores, as I was afterwards told. It seemed about five minutes later that I was rudely awakened by some one shak¬ ing me like a terrier shaking a rat. Kenneth Brousseau, of all people, and wanting to go to the Lawrence World Fair. Kenny had just come in from a round of golf with Charlie Andrews, better known as Huck. Kenny, by the way, was enjoying a vacation following his strenuous duties as an instructor of chemistry at Boxford High School and believe it or not, (pardon the ancient history reference) his services were paid for in groceries. Huck wanted to see Phillip Evangelos perform as the star outfielder of the last place Chicago Black Sox baseball team now in Boston instead of going to the fair. It did not matter to me where I went for I was going to sleep there anyway. They argued and tossed a coin and it fell to our lot to attend the fair now and the ball game tomorrow. We boarded one of Stevie Martin’s Transportation Company’s busses for Law¬ rence and reached there after much delay due to the absent-mindedness of the opera¬ tor, Francis Howard, who got half way to Haverhill before he remembered where he was supposed to go. Perhaps it was the back seat driving by his wife, the former Marjorie Andrews, who accompanies him on all his trips, that caused the detour. Finally and safely we arrived at the fair grounds and one of the first signs on an exhibit read Keep warm with our fuel” The Arthur Phillips Coal Company. Looking closer we observed John Pillion as one of the employees and Blanche Downing and Isabelle Fenton as office clerks. Behold the new American custom, the serving of tea (nothing stronger with Miss Downing around) and cakes. From Arthur we learned that Joseph Fitzgerald was a ranking naval officer and Edward Welch headed a nudist colony at Plum Island. We were advised not to miss the vaudeville act on creative art, a feature of the fair, by Florence Syddall, Martha Curley, and Charles Thurlow. Apropos Arthur Phillips, it was interesting to note that at M. I. T. his mathematical genius had un¬ covered a method of determining the exact number of pieces of coal per ton in less than five minutes. Too bad there was no Nobel Prize offered for this type of work. Distinguishable among the babble of many voices from hoarse throated ballyhoo men, came the high pitched nasal tones of William Butterworth Graham from across the grounds, calling attention to his gigantic, stupendous, colossal side show. Being prevailed upon by Kenny, Graham reduced the admission price for our benefit. Please note he did not issue us any passes. 18

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JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL Grounds my feet left the earth as something knocked me down. When I picked myself up I saw Virginia Drew chasing a stream-lined baby carriage down the side walk, (and cussing rather heartily for a lady). I gave chase and caught the runaway. As soon as Virginia got her breath she told me that the carriage needed new brake bands. It seems that she was superintendent of a nursery where babies were cared for while mothers shopped. She was ably assisted in this noble work by Arlene McEvoy and Rita Massey as nurse maids, and by Doris Daly as dietitian. Virginia asked if I had heard about the great success Morton’s Range Oil Service turned out to be. He had an enormous fleet of red trucks which were under the efficient management of Tommy Wood. They expected to send Albert Himber, as their repre¬ sentative, to South America in the near future. We also learned that Frances Connolly served William J. as private secretary, while Mary O’Brien and Beatrice Pendlebury were stenographers. As Virginia was in a talkative mood and I was hungry for gossip I lingered on. It seems that Jim Casserly was floor walker in Woolwor.th’s, and that Vincent Costello was manager of Glennie’s Ice Cream plant. Virginia had had a letter from Ellen Riley, who, with Catherine May, had gone to Hollywood to see if she could get her puppets into pictures. Who do you suppose they met out there while making the rounds of the film companies? None other than Eleanor Roche starring in a film with Sam Silver- stein as leading man. As the final bit of gossip Virginia said she had heard that Henry Narushof had written and was directing a musical comedy on Broadway featuring Dorothy Dill and Frances Cronin as acrobatic dancers, with Mary Martin, Frances Bamford, and Kathryn Glidden, as the Royal Sisters, noted crooners. It was time I was getting along to bed then so I left Virginia and went to a hotel. As I was registering, I found Marion Jackson as night clerk, with Helen Davis as elevator operator, and Theresa McLay as switch board operator. Would wonders never cease! I turned on the radio and then stretched out on the bed but came up with a start as I heard “This is J. Lewis Sanderson announcing. You have just heard an instru¬ mental trio known as ‘The Three Ritas’ comprised of Rita Enaire, violin; Rita Cop- pinger, piano; and Rita Noone, cello. You will now hear Philip Hickingbotham, the lullaby man of the air, in a five minute program which will be followed by a bed time skit with Alice Roy, Mary Perry and Angelina Vernile taking part.’’ As I lay there and thought over the happenings of the day and of all my former classmates, I silently prayed that whatever venture they undertook, the best of luck might be with them, and then I fell asleep. William Drummond 20